Kenyan tea factory adds Chinese colour sorter as zero tariffs open China market

Kiriti Tea Factory in Murang'a County, which works with about 3,450 local smallholders, put a colour sorter supplied by a Chinese company into use in August, Xinhua reported on 3 October 2026. Xinhua says the machine gives the smallholders' leaf a steadier quality check.

China's decision to apply zero tariffs to goods from 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties, Kenya included, has been in force since 1 May 2026, according to Xinhua. Kenyan tea previously faced a 15 per cent tariff on entering China, Capital FM reported in May.

What Xinhua found at Kiriti

Tea is an important cash crop for Kenya and a source of export earnings, Xinhua noted. Kiriti began commercial production in 2021, Xinhua said. Its chief executive, named in Xinhua's Chinese text as 史蒂夫·迈纳 (English spelling unconfirmed), said good tea is not only grown but also processed to a standard.

The colour sorter was installed and commissioned in August. According to Xinhua, it identifies and separates leaf by its characteristics, which helps raise quality and sorting efficiency. "Chinese equipment and technology let us control tea quality better," the chief executive said, according to Xinhua's Chinese text (translated by Fica News).

Xinhua also quoted a deputy director for corporate communications at the Tea Board of Kenya, named in Chinese as 伊诺克·马特 (English spelling unconfirmed). He said the zero-tariff measure lowers the cost of getting Kenyan tea into China and has lifted local producers' confidence in pursuing that market.

Two farmers spoke to Xinhua. One, named in the Chinese text as 约瑟夫, expects more income. The other, 露西·万吉库 (English spelling unconfirmed), said (translated by Fica News): "We are very glad the Chinese market has opened its door to us, and hope more tea can be sold to China in future." On the buyer side, Li Yaling (李雅玲), a Chinese importer buying tea in Kenya, said she had found a black tea suited to Chinese consumers and would talk to local factories about quality, output and supply, with a view to long-term purchasing.

How big is the China trade?

Still small, on the Tea Board's own figures. Its 2024 performance report lists China at 12.42 million kg of Kenyan tea worth KSh 2.73 billion. Total Kenyan tea exports that year were 594.50 million kg worth KSh 181.69 billion. Fica News has not found Tea Board, Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) or customs figures for China shipments since the zero-tariff scheme began, so its effect on volumes cannot yet be measured.

Capital FM reported on 12 May that the first consignment of Kenyan tea exported under the scheme had arrived at Xiamen Port in Fujian Province. It weighed 15.125 tonnes and was worth about US$40,000. The exporter was Quanzhou Danong Tea Import and Export Company Limited.

Targets and what comes next

In May 2025, Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said Kenya aimed to raise tea exports to China from 12.42 million kg in 2024 to 50 million kg by 2030, Xinhua reported. China Daily reported on 21 July 2026 that the Tea Board said Kenya aims to produce nearly 200 million kg of green and orthodox teas by 2030, that one factory already runs on Chinese equipment tailored to Chinese tastes, and that the two countries are exploring an online tea auction platform.